Gaze of Stone
by AdenRae
Summary: The Greek students from Circe Academy bring their creatures! AND, Ron gets all red-faced and shy and in-love. (::evil laughter::)
1. Part One

"Gaze of Stone" 

Good for you! You found this story from The Potterhead Place! (www.geocities.com/potterhead360)

Check it out!

~Aden, author of "Gaze of Stone"

   Hermione, Potterhead Place Headmistress

Email me:

_ tingrinner@aol.com_

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts, or any other of J. K. Rowling's characters or places. I do, however, own all the characters and creatures from the Circe Academy. PLEASE don't report me to Time Warner!!!!!!

**_Note:_**_ For this story to work, I'm going to pretty much ignore _Goblet of Fire_. I'm doing it on purpose, so don't send me emails saying I don't have my information right._

_Check out my other fic: "The Kurt Chronicles: I See You" X-Men Evolution_

PART ONE 

            "Hey, Ron! Pass the butter," Harry said through a mouthful of sausage. Ron gave him the dish, still looking at his schedule in complete horror.

            "We've got eight classes with the Slytherins each week! _Eight!_" He put his face down on the table and pulled at his hair. "_How _can we go on?"

            "Really, Ron, it can't be that bad. Harry's with you for all of them, and I'm in at least half. It's not like you have to hug them or anything," Hermione said as she spread marmalade on a biscuit. Ron gave her a look of complete annoyance before plopping his head back onto his plate.

            Just then the rustling of wings could be heard as the mail arrived. Neville, as usual, got a package from his grandmother containing things he forgot. Everyone took a few minutes to open start-of-term presents from his or her parents. 

            Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the whole hall went silent. "This fall, at Hogwarts, we will be hosting several students from the Circe Academy in Greece as part of a magical cooperation plan set down by the ministries in Europe." 

            There were murmurs across the hall. "Why didn't he say anything last night?" Hermione whispered to Harry. 

            "Dunno," Harry answered, looking quizzically at Dumbledore.

            "They will be arriving this Friday afternoon, so classes will be shortened. I ask you to be gracious to our guests, as many of them have just learned English and may be unfamiliar with our methods. They will be sorted into the houses for their stay. You will take your classes with them, eat with them, and attend activities with them.

            "Students will be assigned from each year to assist the new students. Prefects also will have more work, but it will help get our guests settled in more quickly. I ask everyone to be on his or her best behavior and to keep the castle as nice as possible. I also insist that no one sabotage the boys' toilet this year." He glanced at the Weasley twins, who looked very putout at this announcement. 

            "Now, please, finish your breakfast and start your first day of classes." Dumbledore sat down, and the hall burst into excited conversation.

            "Well, at least we know who's gonna be our year's Gryffindor student guide," Ron said.

            "Who?" said Hermione and Harry at the same time.

            "Well, Hermione, of course!"

            "Oh, I don't know, Ron. She might not have time to do her homework," Harry said. 

            Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really, Harry! This is going to be so exciting! They learn everything so different in Greece. They have a long tradition of all these really powerful sorcerers. And they have _tons_ of  magical creatures. Hagrid would probably start crying from happiness if he got to see them all. And the actual _way_ they do magic, it's just –" 

            "Oy! Fred! Are you gonna be a student guide?" Ron called down the table, cutting off Hermione.

            "What, and not be able to blow up toilets? Fat chance," George answered. 

~

            That day passed most uneventfully. Potions was as horrible as ever, owing to the fact that Neville did his summer essay on the Shrivel Potions, not Restoratives. Harry's ears were still ringing. 

            History of Magic was now focusing on Greek sorcerers. It would have been very interesting, especially since most of the spells they cast were horrible punishments for unfaithful lovers, but Professor Binns talked about the enchantments very little, and more about politics and centaur astrology conventions.

            Care of Magical Creatures also had mostly to do with the arrival of the Circe students. Hagrid was in a frenzy, preparing housing for the numerous creatures they were bringing. Most of the Gryffindors helped dig a pool for the nereid, while the Slytherins had to prepare food for the sphinx and the baby manticore. 

            Hagrid already had several enclosures set up on the grounds. Huge pens of chicken wire were near the forest for the harpies, along with mounds of rotting meat inside. The manticore cub had his own cave by the lake, and some seventh year students were assembling the sphinx's cliff. Hagrid was rushing about, carrying containers of chopped cow liver for the griffins, and occasionally smiling very widely for no apparent reason.  

~

            The rest of the week went by in a blur. Every class except Potions was studying about Greek magic. Professor Trelawney almost forgot to predict Harry's death; she was so enthusiastically explaining the Greek Oracles. 

            And, finally, Friday came. The entire school was fairly bursting with excitement. Classes stopped at lunch, and everyone went up to their dormitories to straighten everything up. The Gryffindor common room looked rather striking. The usually dusty paintings were gleaming and the carpets had been newly washed. After everything had been stashed either under his bed or in the wardrobe, Harry tried to flatten his hair. It did absolutely nothing, so he contented himself with putting on a clean robe. Ron was violently scrubbing a towel at a blob of boiled frog eyes he had on his cheek. 

            "Argh! Harry, I can't get it off!" Ron exclaimed in panic. He was jumping up and down in front of the mirror, his face red. He scrubbed harder, but it still remained. He leapt over to his bed and pulled his wand out of his bag. He pointed it at his face.

            "NO! Ron! Remember Eloise Midgen?" Harry exclaimed, pulling the wand out of his hand. 

            "Oh, yeah," Ron said, looking at his nose with relief. "You think Hermione can get it off?" 

            "Probably. Come on, we'll be late."

That's Part One!  Part Two coming soon . . .

~Aden and Hermione

       The Potterhead Place


	2. Part Two

Good for you! You found this story from _The Potterhead Place_! (www.geocities.com/potterhead360)

Check it out!

~Aden, author of "Gaze of Stone"

   Hermione, Potterhead Place Headmistress

Email me:

_ tingrinner@aol.com_

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts, or any other of J. K. Rowling's characters or places. I do, however, own all the characters and creatures from the Circe Academy. PLEASE don't report me to Time Warner!!!!!!

**_Note:_**_ For this story to work, I'm going to pretty much ignore _Goblet of Fire_. I'm doing it on purpose, so don't send me emails saying I don't have my information right._

****

**PART TWO**

            The Great Hall was gleaming, illuminated by the floating candles. Brilliant banners of the four houses and the Hogwarts crest fluttered from the enchanted ceiling, which was a clear, dark blue; the moon shining brightly.  A few appetizer dishes were out, including a fruit-salad-like concoction.

            "What's _that_?" Ron asked when they sat down, looking incredulously at the bowl. He was in a nasty mood. His face still stung where Hermione had removed the frog eyes. 

            "Ambrosia. 'Food of the gods!'" Fred said when he plopped down next to Harry. He sneakily took a spoonful and shoved it in his mouth. He made a face. "Er . . . more like food of some very angry gods. This stuff is gross." He wiped his spoon on Lee Jordan's napkin. 

            The hall was loud with anxious chatter. Hermione seemed to be reciting something under her breath, but as she recited things on a daily basis, Harry paid it no mind.

            Professor McGonagall, who was standing by the door, conjured a loud bang with her wand, and everyone was quiet.

            "Will everyone please take your seats? The Circe Academy students have just arrived, and I ask all of you to please calm yourselves. After they have been sorted, please accommodate them at your table and greet them politely. Then we will begin the feast. In the meantime, please be quiet and wait patiently." She strode out of the hall.

            Hermione took out some note cards and immediately began looking over them, muttering to herself. 

            "What are those?" Harry asked.

            "Huh? Oh, these, these are my notes for what I'm supposed to do as a guide."

            "You didn't tell us you got the guide job!" Ron said indignantly. 

            "Well, I thought you would make fun of me or something like that," she said, blushing a little. 

            Just then, the doors were opened. Everyone twisted around in their seats. 

Dumbledore walked in with a tall woman in shimmery blue robes. She was really young, hardly older than the Seventh-years. Her hair was braided in intricate designs and her eyes glittered. Fred and George both said "Whoa!" in very audible voices.

            Behind Dumbledore and the woman came about a dozen students. They were all whispering excitedly to each other. They didn't seem to have much of a dress code: everyone had on different colors, some with sparkles, others with beads and shells dangling from their collars and wrists. Not one was ugly, in fact, they all looked they had just walked off of a wizard fashion magazine. Harry, along with Ron, found all the girls rather pretty. 

            They filed up to the front of the hall to stand along the staff table. Dumbledore led the woman to sit next to him. 

            "May I introduce the students from Circe Academy!" Everyone clapped loudly. The Circe students looked a little embarrassed, blushes showing through on their darkly tanned skin. "And, they're lovely deputy headmistress, Athene Deucalion!" The applause this time seemed to be mainly from the older boys, especially the twins and Lee Jordan, who all stood up and clapped with dreamy looks on their faces. 

            Once the applause died down, Professor McGonagall marched to the head table with the sorting hat and a stool. She pulled out a scroll, and started to call out names, just like she did a few days ago. 

            "Erisson, Helen!" 

A girl with short, curly blonde hair strode grandly up to the front and sat down. McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head. After a minute, it shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!" She hopped happily of the stool and sat down at the Ravenclaw table, where everyone shook her hand and cheered.

            Next was a short, plump boy, "Icarus, Arion". He was sorted into Hufflepuff, and looked quite delighted about it.

            "Chiron, Artemina." 

A very tall, athletically built girl with horn-rim glasses came to the stool. She sat down on the too-small stool. The hat said almost at once "GRYFFINDOR!"

            The Gryffindors stood up and cheered. Artemina rushed to the table, looking very pleased. Hermione shook her hand first and motioned to the seat next to her, saying something in Greek.  Artemina sat down and Hermione leaned over and whispered a few things in her ear.

            The next two students were sorted into Gryffindor as well, Ganymedea and Cadmus Hipolyton, twin girl and boy, both fourteen. The Gryffindors were really excited at having so many in their house, and the two were nearly drowned in hands clapping them on the backs or giving them high-fives. All three Circe students' faces were flushed with excitement. 

            Slytherin gained two students, both very pretty, but snobbish-looking. The sorting hat didn't take long at all for them, and the Slytherins started whooping and cheering in a rather disgusting manner. The two girls sat down with smug looks.

            The rest of the Circe students were sorted. Two went to Hufflepuff, two to Ravenclaw, and one to Slytherin. At last there was only one student left. 

            "Forsis, Morgan." A girl about Harry's age walked up to the stool. She had flowing robes of green and gold. Her numerous braids intertwined with sparkling ribbons were pulled in a bun at the nape of her neck. She walked very elegantly, almost floating. The oddest thing was, she had green-tinted glasses. And, Harry noticed that she was trembling. Like she was scared to death of something. 

She sat down gracefully on the stool, but her hands were shaking violently, even when she clutched the edges of the seat. Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head. She flinched.

And so did the hat. It actually shook from side to side for a moment. Then the hall was dead silent. They all sat there for at least three minutes, staring at the sorting hat. The Circe students at the Gryffindor table looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Artemina whispered to Hermione, "Is this normal?" Hermione shook her head. She looked at Harry. He said nothing. His sorting took nearly as long, and people were whispering about him even before that.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. Professor Mcgonagall lifted the hat up. The girl got up very quickly, shrinking away from the hat. She looked positively horrified at going to the Slytherin table. None of them were clapping for her. No one in the whole hall did anything until Athene Deucalion started applauding very forcefully. The rest of the hall joined in, still looking a little confused.

She began to sit next to the boy from the Academy. All three of the Circe students glared at her with complete dislike. She looked even more terrified and sat all by herself at the very end of the table.  

"What's their problem?" Harry asked Ron. He shrugged. 

"I didn't think they'd put someone like that in Slytherin. You know, none of them like to be individual. Maybe they don't like her glasses."

Dumbledore gave a great sweep of his arm, and the tables filled with even more food than before. They all digged in. The Circe students looked positively ecstatic at seeing so much. Many had noticed the ceiling and were pointing up with astonishment. Hermione was explaining things for the three at their table, and they were listening with rapt attention. Every once in a while, one would give an "Oh!" After about 10 minutes, Ron butted in and started asking Cadmus about Quidditch in Greece and they got into a long, heated discussion over different game tactics. Hermione and Ganymedea were talking animatedly about the some ancient runes book. Angelina Johnson had moved next to Artemina and was pointing out all the different teachers and Quidditch players.

Cadmus suddenly dropped his forkful of pork onto the table with a clatter. 

"_You're Harry Potter_!" he exclaimed with a Greek accent, staring at Harry's forehead with a an open mouth. Artemina and Ganymedea turned around and stared at Harry, too.

"Uh, yeah, I am," Harry said, getting a little embarrassed. 

"Wow! I . . . we had no idea – that you'd be – I'm very honored!" Cadmus reached out his hand from across the table. Harry shook it, burning with embarrassment. Artemina and Ganymedea shook his hand, too. 

"Helen! Helen!" Ganymedea called over to the Ravenclaw table. "Guess who's in our house! _Harry Potter_!" Helen twisted around in her seat and stared, mouth open like Cadmus's, at Harry. He tried desperately to flatten his bangs while slipping under the table. It was no use. Helen had told the rest of the Circe students in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and the Slytherins learned from Artemina. Pretty soon they were all standing up, trying to get a glimpse at him. Harry was sure his face was, at the very least, redder than the tablecloth. Why does this always _have_ to happen?

"Yeah, we got Potter!" Fred interjected. "Best seeker in a century, we tell you! Won us the cup last year. But, of course, he needed help from us, the best beaters in a millennium, you know . . ." The twins got into a long spiel of their Quidditch skills, and most forgot about the excitement. George gave Harry a wink.

Ron nudged him in the side. "That Morgan girl is looking at you."

"Who isn't?" Harry said through clenched teeth.

"No, I  mean _looking _at you."

Harry peeked over at the Slytherin table. Morgan was eating very quietly by herself, only looking at her plate.

"No she isn't."

"Well, she _was_," Ron answered, shrugging. 

That's Part Two! 3 reviews before Part Three goes up!

~Aden and Hermione

       The Potterhead Place


	3. Part Three

Good for you! You found this story from _The Potterhead Place_! (www.geocities.com/potterhead360)

Check it out!

~Aden, author of "Gaze of Stone"

   Hermione, Potterhead Place Headmistress

Email me:

_ tingrinner@aol.com_

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts, or any other of J. K. Rowling's characters or places. I do, however, own all the characters and creatures from the Circe Academy. PLEASE don't report me to Time Warner!!!!!!

**_Note:_**_ For this story to work, I'm going to pretty much ignore _Goblet of Fire_. I'm doing it on purpose, so don't send me emails saying I don't have my information right._

**PART THREE **

On Saturday morning, Hermione asked Ron and Harry to help her show the Circe students around the school. They both agreed, because they wanted to continue the Quidditch discussion they had most of the night with Cadmus in their dormitory.

Ganymedea, Artemina and Cadmus all had very good English, and their accents were hardly noticeable. Ganymedea kept quoting lines from funny movies. Of course, Ron had no idea what she was saying.

"Who's Austin Powers, anyway?" He asked very loudly in the middle of one of the twins' dialogues. They both stared at him with open mouths, shocked that he had no idea.

"It's a Muggle thing, Ron,"  Hermione explained, giggling a little.

"Our mother is half Muggle, so we go to see films and things with our cousins on our grandfather's side," Cadmus explained. He nudged Harry in the side, startling him a little. Cadmus, except for last night's incident in the Great Hall, was treating Harry as if he'd known him for years. 

"Do you ever go see films in the cinema, Harry?" Cadmus asked.

"No way would the Dursleys take me. I went to a couple with Hermione this summer though, while we were shopping for supplies in London." Ron had the chicken pox, so he stayed at home while his family got his things. He still wasn't very happy about that.

"It's just a stupid Muggle thing, anyway," Ron said. He looked a little jealous.

~

When their little group went out to Hagrid's hut, most of the student body was lazing about the lake or looking in awe at the creatures in their makeshift habitats. They went  first to the baby manticore's pen. Ganymedea shrieked with excitement.

"Tros! Cadmus! It's Trossie!" cried Ganymedea. "I didn't know they brought him!  Oh, my baby!"

She was pointing at the baby manticore, which began to run towards her. It stopped at the fence and let Ganymedea pet and kiss it. Harry had never seen anything like it. It was about the size of a housecat, but built like a lion, with glossy jet-black wings folded on its back and a spiny, almost scorpion-like tail. It's face was in the shape of a human baby's, with blue cat eyes. Ganymedea rubbed its head and blew on its nose. It made a sound between a purr and a coo. It was almost cute.

Ganymedea began talking in Greek, rubbing the manticore's head and snuggling him. 

"What's with them?" Hermione asked Cadmus.

"Oh, De used to feed him and stuff at the Academy. She's the only one that can get that close to him. He bit off someone's finger last winter. She calls him her Trossie." Cadmus rolled his eyes. 

"Cadmuuuusss," the manticore purred, and pointed a paw at him. He started giggling. "Cadmuuuuusss, Cadmuuuusss!" He fluttered his little wings and tried to get closer to Cadmus. They weren't very strong, however, and the manticore toppled to the ground. He got up again and ambled in front of  Cadmus. Artemina and Hermione sighed. 

"Oh, hurry up Cad, he wants to see you!" Ganymedea said, dragging Cadmus closer. Cadmus didn't looked too happy about this arrangement. 

"Uh, hello, Tros! Good to see you!" He gave Tros a few short pats on the head before the manticore began growling and snapping his incredible sharp teeth. Tros giggled in his cat-like way, then ran away to chase butterflies.

"He was adorable!" Hermione said, smiling. "You'd never know they were that cute from all the things we researched about them."

"Oh, I'm the only one that can get him to look cute. He likes to tease Cadmus, but he's ferocious when others try to play with him." She suddenly gave Hermione a very stern look. " He will be well cared for? No one will mistreat him?"

"No, no way. Hagrid probably loves him as much as you!" Hermione said, laughing. 

After Ganymedea blew Tros a kiss and promised to come the next day, they went around to the next little habitat, the nereid's pool. 

The nereid looked not a day older than thirteen, and was extremely beautiful. Her skin was fair, with elaborate patterns of green and sliver scales. Her bright emerald eyes reflected the ripples on the water. Her silky black hair had many small braids and swirled about her in the pool. She smiled shyly at them, and stared for a moment at Ron, a dreamy look in her eyes. Ron's ears grew pink.

Artemina asked, in a soft, gentle voice, "Hello, Thetis. How was your trip?"

The nereid closed her eyes for a moment. The water in her pool moved around a bit. Droplets came into the air, forming themselves into shapes. The nereid opened her eyes and blew water from the palm of her hand. The shapes sharpened, and they could see they were Greek letters. Artemina read the message.

"She says it was quite wonderful, thank you. Her pool is very comfortable,' Artemina translated. The letters pooled together into a ball in midair before silently joining the rest of the water in the pool. 

"We helped dig it," Ron said, beaming. The nereid giggled, a sound like water sweeping over wind chimes. Ron became a deep shade of scarlet.

"Well, look at this!" came a very unwanted voice. Malfoy and a gang of other Slytherins barged through their group and crowded around the pool. Ron tried desperately to get back in view of the nereid.

"Ewww, gross. Look at all those scales. And her hair! She's got pond scum in it!" cried Pansy Parkinson. The two Academy girls with her made faces. The nereid swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself partway out, looking out of the crowd. She made agitated noises, and her cheeks were flushed. 

Ron squeezed in-between the boy from the Academy and  Crabbe. Crabbe shoved him away. To keep from falling, Ron grabbed the Academy boy's arm. The boy punched Ron in the stomach. Goyle joined in, then Malfoy, and pretty soon all the Slytherins were beating him up. Harry and Artemina tried to pull some of them off, but Crabbe just shoved them away.

The nereid gave a frustrated screech and raised her webbed hands above head. She glared intently at the Slytherins. Suddenly, a huge tentacle of swirling water sprung into the air from the pool. It swooped down and wrapped itself around the boy from the Academy. It picked him up into the air, his arms still punching until water-ropes wrapped around his fists. He started screaming. The Slytherins stopped in mid-punch and stared.

The nereid twirled a finger, and the water tentacle twirled the boy several times, until he looked sick. She then made a motion as if throwing a baseball. The tentacle threw him to the ground on the other side of Hagrid's hut. The water tentacle left the pool, flowed in an arch, then poured itself on his head, judging from the huge splash that followed. 

The rest of the Slytherins got up immediately and ran away, screaming about water monsters. Artemina, Cadmus, Ganymedea, Hermione, and Harry all stared in awe at the nereid. She blushed bright green, panting a little.

Artemina helped Ron up. He gazed adoringly at the nereid, who gave him a shy smile before diving under the surface, her fins flashing.

"Ron! I think she's _fond _of you!" Ganymedea teased.

Ron grinned.

Ah! So cute!  

3 reviews before Part Four goes up! (IF it ever gets written . . .)

~Aden and Hermione

       The Potterhead Place


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